


Puyo Week 2020

by badgerdactyl



Category: Puyo Puyo
Genre: F/M, Ficlet Collection, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25698586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badgerdactyl/pseuds/badgerdactyl
Summary: A collection of short fics based on the Puyo Week 2020 prompts from Tumblrhttps://puyoweek2020.tumblr.com/post/625207719241089024/puyo-week-2020-masterpost
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

The vast expanse of space stretched far beyond the enforced glass of the observation deck. Stars sparkled and swirled around the miasmas of galaxies as planets danced their cyclical dances around them. Countless twinkling lights against the inky black void of the cosmos. It was spellbinding, awe inspiring, beautiful, and... boring. Terribly,  _ terribly  _ boring. The glamour of intergalactic travel lost its luster quite quickly when it meant staring at much of the same thing over and over again, looking for dimensional anomalies. Since their last big adventure, the crew of the S.S. Tetra found everything to be smooth sailing. And, while such a peace was what all true galactic protectors should strive for, Tee still felt terribly, terribly, bored.

Tee rolled his gloved fingers across the arm of his chair as his eyes scanned the cosmos, letting out a sigh as he came to a familiar conclusion. Safe. No danger to report. Boring. "O," he called with a sigh, "status report."

"Pi pi-pi pipi-pi~!" O happily as he floated towards the young captain and began his transmission. 

"This is Captain Tee of the S.S. Tetra, reporting through communications operator, O. Status report for the Golden Leaf Galaxy - all clear. No anomalies or ripples in space-time. End of report." To celebrate the success of his detailed report, he slumped down into his chair and threw back his head. 

Zooming to his side, O offered an inquisitive chirp as he circled around the dignified captain.

"Well, can you blame me?" He sat upright and folded his arms. "It's been so long since anything interesting happened. And... I miss our friends from the other dimension."

"Pi~ pipi pi?" 

Tee took a cellphone from his pocket to show to O, then set it in his lap. "We talk sometimes, yes. But, they have lives going on and it seems like they're always going on some  _ awesome _ adventure." He idly turned the phone in his hands. "It's been awhile since I've heard from them. I'd reach out, but... I don't want to be a nuisance to them, you know?"

Before O could offer a response, the phone buzzed quickly, startling the both of them. He rushed behind Tee to read the message from over his shoulder.

Ringo 🍎

Hi, Tee! Just wanted to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY~! 🎉🎉🎉 Hope you have fun today! :D

Tee stared at his phone for a moment, blinking once, twice, before turning his head up to O. "O, what's today?"

"Pi-pi."

"No, I know it's Monday. What's the date?"

"Pipi, pi pipi-pi."

"Decidedly... not my birthday, correct?"

"Pi." The two hummed in confusion for a moment, running various possibilities in their heads. "Pipi pi pi pi-pipi?"

"Unlikely. I've had back and forth conversations with Ringo and her friends before, so the chances of an inter-dimensional delay are slim." Tee's thumbs hovered over the keyboard, uncertain of how to respond when the phone lit up again in his hands.

Amitie 🐤

TEE! Omigoooosh~!~! I hope u have the BEST birthday EVAR!! 🎉 What are b-days even like in SPACE?? 🤔✨ Did u know u an aquarius just like Professor Accord?! ♒ Thats soooo wicked!! I hope u get lots of prezzies!! 🎁

The two shared a look of confusion before Tee set out to type a response. 

Tee 🚀

Thank you, Amitie. But, what is an "aquarius?"

Instantly, an indicator appeared, showing that Amitie was typing. "See? That rules out a severe inter-dimensional delay."

O gave a small shrug as he waited for her response.

Amitie 🐤

Uhhhh i think its a star thingy... 🤔 Feli would know more probably but its for people born in january/february like u! Ima taurus so ima bull hehe 🐄

"Did we... encounter a desync as we moved between galaxies?" Tee thought, his phone buzzing with more mistimed well-wishes. "O, run a report of-"

"Pipi pi-pi. Pi pi pipi pi, pi."

"No?" He grumbled as he ran his mind through the possibilities. "Could it be a dimensional thing?"

"Pipi pi?"

"Think about it. A planet tilted on its axis has different climates on its different hemispheres." He set his phone in his lap and held his hands up to demonstrate. "It stands to reason that something similar is happening with our dimensions."

"Pi," O started and spun around in front of Tee, “pipi pi pipi pi."

"Yeah, or I misunderstood how their calendar system works, there's that," he mumbled, a blush creeping onto his face. 

"Pi~?"

"Yeah, yeah, and they probably  _ don't  _ think I'm a nuisance." His grumpy frown quickly replaced itself with a small smile as he picked up his phone and began to read his friends' messages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went with favorite PPT character! I don't know who my all-time favorite character is, since it changes from time to time, but I know Tee was my favorite character from PPT :3
> 
> Also it's been literally forever since I wrote last so I'm super-duper rusty...!


	2. Chapter 2

"Question." Ringo reached across the table and snatched Magruo's phone from in front of him before scrolling through the PDF he had loaded. "Do you ever take any offense to the name of the game?"

Satan looked up as he continued writing on the piece of paper in front of him. "How do you figure?"

"I mean, you are technically a demon."

"And you do live in a tower, ★" Maguro added, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table.

With a roll of his eyes, Satan put down his pencil. "I've seen the creation and death of universes and have collected power beyond your mortal comprehension. No, the name 'Towers & Demons' means very little to me beyond the fact that it's a game I find strangely compelling. Also, it's a castle. Though, I did live in a tower once."

"You probably like it because you get to be a good guy!" Ringo smiled as she found what she was looking for within the player's handbook and hastily copied it to her character sheet before tossing the phone back to her friend.

Maguro scrambled forward to catch the phone, letting out a sigh as it landed safely in his hands. "Don't do that. ★"

"I'm more than capable of being a 'good guy,'" Satan retorted, leaning back into his chair and making quotation marks with his fingers. "I don't need wish-fulfillment from a game to give me that satisfaction." 

"Oh, we know. ★" Maguro folded one of his legs beneath him and scrolled through his phone. "You helped save our world that one time when E-"

"Ah, shh! Shh! Don't say his name!" Ringo shouted, launching her pencil out of her hand as she frantically waved them towards her friend. "You're gonna summon him or something."

Satan brought a finger to his temple. "Please, don't. He always ends up slinking around my castle for days afterwards, like some kind of cat or something."

Stifling a laugh, Maguro continued, "Okay, well, you get the idea, right? ★ We know you can be a good guy.”

"Just whenever everyone else isn't watching!"

Satan cocked his head in confusion and stared at Ringo, who hadn't even looked up from her character sheet. "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean," Ringo started, standing up from her seat to retrieve her pencil, "whenever Arle or the others are around, you always seem to put on this 'tough guy' act." She bent over to grab the pencil before snapping straight up, pointing it towards the sky and letting out a bellowing laugh. "'Tremble before me as I blow up the moon!' Or, something like that." She looked over to the table and her smile fell. "Satan?"

Maguro looked up from his phone at the demon across from him, staring blankly across the room, his face pale. "Dude, I think you broke him. ★"

"Wh-wh-what? I didn't mean to!"

"You literally broke the rule of Puyo Hell! ★ You can't just do that! ★"

"It's... different," Satan muttered as he tried to collect himself. "Arle, Rulue, Schezo, and the others... they only r- they only know me as someone like that." He let out a sigh. "When you're known for acting a certain way, you don't want to betray their expectations, you understand."

Ringo stood still, afraid to walk back to the table as she tried to understand the demon prince's words. "Satan-"

"So, that's why you're chill with us, right? ★" Maguro responded quickly. Ringo and Satan snapped their focus to him immediately as he continued, "We only know as this super-powerful guy who saved our world and occasionally causes mischief for our other friends. ★"

Satan stared for a moment before letting out a small chuckle. "Hopefully you know me for more than just that."

"I know you still need to tell me about your character so we can pick your background skills. ★ Care to share?"

Sneaking back to her chair, Ringo watched as Satan's mood pulled a complete 180 as he stood up, threw back his hair with a flourish, and began to bombastically explain every minute detail of his character's abilities and aspirations. She leaned back into her chair to make herself comfortable - he could be talking for a while, knowing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite headcanon time! Based on their interactions in 7 and in 20th Ani, I love the idea that Satan and Ringo have a weird, intergenerational friendship between the two of them. Plus, I already wrote about them playing ~~D &D~~ T&D once before, so I went back to that idea a little bit. 
> 
> This took a different direction than I thought it would, but I'm still happy with this little drabble~


	3. Chapter 3

Satan laid next to Professor Accord, the two tucked neatly under her cozy quilt as the crickets chirped under a moonlit sky. He stayed perfectly still as he faced her, tracing her purple curls with his eyes in the darkness as a twinge of uncertainty pounded in his heart. He lifted a hand, wanting to tuck a lock behind her ear, and hesitated, hitching his breath.

"Can't sleep?"

He flinched, letting out a shout and pulling himself away from his no-longer-sleeping companion. "How long have you been awake?"

"Depends," Accord replied. She rubbed her eyes and added, "How long have you been watching me 'sleep'?" with a yawn. As he tried and failed to stammer out an explanation, she chuckled and turned over. "Let's go back to sleep." She readjusted the quilt over herself and made herself comfortable, all the while listening and waiting for him to do the same. Hearing nothing, she turned back over and said, "Or, we could talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Then, talk to me about nothing." 

"What?" He looked across the bed as she readjusted her pillow. "How do you talk about nothing?"

She hummed for a moment before responding, "You can't. You're going to have to talk about something, instead."

Satan blinked against the darkness before letting out a laugh. "You're impossible when you're half-asleep."

"Unlike you," she said, reaching her hand out from under the quilt and bopping him on the nose. "You're just impossible all of the time."

"How can you act like this?" he snapped as he swatted away her hand. His eyes snapped open, recoiling at his own words. Accord stayed still for a moment. "So, you _do_ want to talk about something."

"I just- I can't understand how you can act this coy around me." He sat up in the bed and pulled his knees into his chest. 

She turned over and laid on her back. "I know you're the prince of the underworld, but you're still in my bed. In _my_ home. I can act however I'd like."

He sunk his head into his arms. "That's not what I meant." He sat in silence, his head and his heart fighting to find the right words. "I've... done terrible things. I've hurt a lot of people, even without meaning to." He clenched his fists as a wall in his heart began to crumble. "I don't understand how you could be so comfortable - how you could let your guard down around me knowing what I am."

Accord turned her head towards him. "Do you want to hurt me?"

"No!" He forced his hands down beside him. "I would n-"

"Then, there's your answer," she said simply, giving his arm a playful swat. "I know the both of us better than that."

"The... both of us?"

"You may recall I've already tamed one prince of darkness."

Satan narrowed his eyes. "The cat doesn't count."

"His name is Popoi, and you'll do better to respect him," she retorted. "Besides, you haven't seen what I'm fully capable of. I'm well equipped to handle whatever you throw my way, should you find yourself opposing me in battle."

He closed his eyes and thought of another time - another world, with another woman whom he trusted. Another woman with a determined brightness in her eyes who was so certain of herself. It had taken him a lifetime to trust her, and countless more to forgive himself when she was gone. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll..." he started, the words hitching themselves in his throat. "I'll trust that you're right."

She put her hand over his and interlaced their fingers. "Of course I'm right. That's why you should trust yourself, too."

He lifted her hand with his and brought it to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "Of course. Whatever you say." He stretched out his legs beneath the quilt and nestled himself beside her, only letting go of her hand to tuck a stray curl behind her ear and, much to his delight, she smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Favorite ship! 
> 
> I don't actually know if Satan/Accord is my favorite ship, but I do very much enjoy it. I know they've interacted all of twice, but I think they could have good chemistry together given the chance!


	4. Chapter 4

Arle slinked away from the beach, more than happy to get out of Rulue's hair before Minotauros caught on that his lady had been defeated. In her defense, she had no choice - Rulue's feelings aside, Satan had to be stopped!

The sun seemed to be getting more powerful as she climbed towards the tower on the cliff side, awestruck at the beam shooting out of its peak. She wondered what sort of scheme Satan had come up with that necessitated tripling the size of the sun. Was he trying to melt everyone on purpose or something? Was he hoarding all of the world's ice inside the tower? She wiped the sweat from her brow, hoping that she was right and that she could be the first person to liberate said ice. Upon completing the final step of her ascent, she let out a cheer. "We're almost there, Carby!"

"Gu gu!" Carbuncle happily replied from atop her shoulder. Despite his fur, he seemed to be handling the heat much better than his armor-clad companion.

"C'mon!" she called, pumping her fists. "Let's get this over with as soon as possible! I don't want to spend another s-" Arle stopped herself as her eyes caught on the entrance to the tower. More importantly, she tilted her head in confusion as she read the words 'Haunted Dancehall' hastily painted on the bricks above the iron door. 

Before she could begin to ask why in the world that was there, she heard a heavy panting coming up from behind her. She turned on her heels and spotted a familiar face. "Ah, Schezo!" As he hunched over to catch his breath, she couldn't help but notice the bright red of his skin against his white robes. "That's quite the healthy sunburn you have there."

"Silence!" Schezo stood upright in a snap, as if her words had sparked something within him. "The  _ Dark  _ Wizard does not require a healthy image!" he shouted, his fists balled at his sides.

Arle smirked. "Yeah, the  _ Dark  _ Wizard Schezo. Are you the Dark Wizard because you're always hiding out in caves?" As his shoulders slumped and his head dropped, she pressed the attack. "Or, would that make you more of a  _ Humid  _ Wizard?"

"H-Humid...?"

"I mean, that'd definitely explain the  _ moldy  _ smell. I bet your robes would be perfect for growing  _ mushrooms _, too, don't you think?"

"Why you...!" Schezo flicked his wrist at his side and summoned his sword in a flash before glaring at her with daggers in his eyes. "I shall smite you!"

"Uh-oh! D'ya think I pushed him a little too much?"

Carbuncle shrugged as Arle leaped away from his sword and into a battle stance. He jumped from her shoulder and stood between the two of them, taking a balloon from his seemingly-endless supply and popping it to signal the start of the battle.

Arle wasted no time at all as she set to work placing her Puyos into position, feeling only the slightest twinge of regret as she realized she had caused yet another delay in defeating Satan. She swiftly slammed pair after pair of Puyo before glancing over to Schezo with a smirk. "Looks like the heat's getting to your Puyo skills, too, huh?"

Schezo's eye twitched slightly at her words, forcing him to misplace a pair and prematurely starting an attack. His eyes widened and, in an instant, he took his free hand, held out two of his fingers and his thumb, and drew them across his face as a blinding spark of light leaped from his palm. " _Crash_!"

Arle winced at the sudden light, but felt more annoyed than anything as a few Sun Puyo fell onto her chain, causing her to sweat. She racked her brain, thinking of a way to turn the situation around quickly when inspiration struck. "Did you say flash?" she called. "Even your spells are pervy...!"

"Why you insolent little...!" As planned, the accusation distracted him, causing another misplaced set of Puyos. He drew his hand again and prepared the same spell, sending another spark of light towards Arle as he cried, "It's  _ Crash_!"

Another set of Sun Puyo fell around Arle as she readied her attack. She scanned the field and felt confidence that their boosted power would be more than enough to take care of things as she slammed a Puyo into position. Drawing her hands in front of her chest, she channeled their energy into a swirling blue ball of light. " _Mind blast_!" She threw out her hands, forcing the energy towards Schezo, then watched as it transformed itself into a mountain of Nuisance Puyo.

Schezo looked to the incoming storm of Nuisance and slumped his shoulders as they fell, toppling him to the ground, a few of them slamming against his head for good measure. He fell face first against the dirt and laid still as defeat washed over him.

"Don't worry, Schezo~!" Arle said cheerfully as Carbuncle leaped back atop her shoulders. "I'll take care of this and turn everything back to normal. Then, you can go back to your cold, dank cave in peace!" With that, she flashed a peace sign to her fallen foe, turned on her heels and prepared to topple the tower before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I've never played it, I have a great fondness for Puyo Sun, since I watched a lot of playthroughs of it when I was first getting into Puyo. The humor in that game is really something else! Arle just roasts this man for no reason.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steam city alts!
> 
> Amitie is an aspiring idol, Sig is a baker. You can check out their alts. here!
> 
> https://puyonexus.com/wiki/PPQ:Steam_City_Amitie/%E2%98%856
> 
> https://puyonexus.com/wiki/PPQ:Steam_City_Sig/%E2%98%856

In the middle of the street, not too far from the market district, stood a small restaurant known for great food, great conversation, and great music. Well, ordinarily it was known for great music. Between the lunch and dinner hours, when most of the good men and women worked their jobs, the restaurant had good music. Well, okay music. Well, okay, she was trying and that had to count for something…

The last, warbling note of Amitie's song echoed across the stage into the restaurant. Her hands shaking, she put the microphone on its stand and beamed a bright smile. "Th-thank you everyone!" she called as she struck a pose. "This has been your favorite rookie idol Amitie wishing you a sun-shiny, fun-smiley day!" She looked across the empty restaurant and her smile fell from her face. "At least, that's what I'd _like_ to say..."

The owner of the restaurant clapped her hands from her seat by the door as Amitie walked off of the stage and threw herself onto a table. "You'll get there one day," she said. She walked over and gave the young idol a sympathetic pat to the back. "It just takes time, sugar."

"Another day with no audience...!" Amitie whined, burying her face in her arms. "It's because everyone's still busy at their jobs, right? I-If I sang later in the day, I'd draw a bigger crowd, right?" She lifted her head in time to see the way the owner's eyes shifted and sunk her head back into the table. "Oh, get real..."

A steam whistle screeched outside to signal the top of the hour and the once quiet streets suddenly evolved into a cacophonous clattering of noise. "Look," the owner said, "you've got heart and I know you've been practicing. But, you're not ready for the later shifts yet, hun."

Amitie picked herself up from the table and wordlessly walked outside of the restaurant. She looked at the crows of people filling the streets and sighed before deciding to head home for the night. She tried to keep a smile on her face as she passed the city guards, but felt her heart sink a little more with each step until she finally reached her apartment. She reached into her pocket and paused, reaching into the other and patting her hips before she slumped in defeat. She pressed her forehead against the locked door in front of her and fought back her frustrated tears.

"Amitie," a familiar voice called from behind her, making her jump from the door and turn around. "Forget your keys again?"

"Sig!" She slapped her cheeks a few times to focus herself. "Yeah, I think I left them at the restaurant again."

"Should you go get them?"

She dropped her gaze and kicked up gravel from the path. "I really don't want to go back there again." 

He nodded in understanding. "Sorry about missing your show," he offered. "The bakery has been really busy." He turned to his side and began to rummage through his bag.

"Business has been really good, then, huh? I bet it's because of your world famous Bug Bread recipe, right?"

"Yep. They keep selling out." He produced a small, beetle-shaped loaf of bread from his bag and handed it to her. "Saved you one."

Amitie's eyes lit up. "Oh, wicked! Thank you!" She took the loaf from his hands and ripped it in half, offering the other half back to him. "Let's eat it together, okay?" She set the bread in his palm and learned against the apartment wall, listening to the rhythm of the city as the two of them ate. "Nobody showed up today," she said, finally, between bites of bread.

"Ouch."

"The _worst_ part-" she paused, chewing furiously and swallowing before she continued, "is that it might have been a _good_ thing. I keep tripping when I practice and - wouldn't you know it? I tripped in the same place during my performance!" She grimaced at the thought before shoving the last of the bread in her mouth all at once.

Sig let out a contemplative hum as he chewed. "You're gonna be okay, Amitie.

"How do you figure?" she asked, spraying breadcrumbs from her mouth.

"You're _Amitie_." He shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. "You never give up. You're gonna be a wonderful idol."

She picked her head up and looked up at the first twinkling stars high above the steam city. "Thanks, Sig." She pumped her fists as a fire burned in her heart. "I'll just have to practice twice as hard! That'll help me become a better idol, in no time!"

"You could also get a bug-themed costume," he offered with a smirk. "That would help."

"What? Get really real!"

He shrugged as she gave him a playful shrug. "It worked with the bread."

Amitie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Let's go get my keys. I'll buy you dinner since you saved me a Bug Bread!" She took his hand as he nodded and the two made their way together through the city streets, Amitie feeling more determined than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was SUPER EXCITED when Quest first released the Steam City alts. with the Madou cast. Steampunk is just incredibly rad, so I thought it'd be fun to explore these two darlings in the Steam City world, since I haven't written about them yet this week. (Plus, I actually have a 6* Steam City Sig!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's free-prompt day! I wanted to show-case my writing process, so I thought I'd take the first scene from my fic Blue Lightening and showcase how it started as an outline, bubbled into the first draft, before solidifying to the final draft I posted :3
> 
> Also, this chapter should probably get a T rating for swears... :U

haha time to suffer outline

  * Broken glass lab fight
    * Ringo’s _fucking_ ** _pissed_** because “I’ve only told you *an extremely specific number of times* times _not to play with your kendama near the beakers_ ” like she’s just absolutely livid
      * Maguro kinda walks the line between “oh shit she’s mad” and “it’s not that big of a deal?” and “i’m sorry” (less of a line more of a venn diagram then)
      * She leaves the lab to go mumble grumble on the roof, bumps into Ris on the way out like “i am _not_ in the mood to be fucked with right now” and he’s like “mags what the fuck did you do”



* * *

ringo has a Bad™ day

Ringo furrowed her brow, the apple in her hand bruising beneath her fingertips. “If I’ve told you once-”

“You’ve told me a hundred times,” Maguro sighed as he walked to the closet and pulled out a mop. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. ★” Mop in hand, he made his way back to the lab table and started to clean up the puddle of chemicals under the shards of broken glass.

“One hundred and  _ twenty-four times _ , Maguro!” She slammed her hands to the table and slumped down over her notes. “Tell me again -  _ why _ did you think it was a good idea to play with your kendama in the lab?”

“I didn’t-” he started, stopping himself with a sigh. He set the mop back into the bucket and made his way back to the closet. “Look, I’m  _ really _ sorry. I’ll help you with your experiment as soon as I finish cleaning up, okay? ★”

She let out a groan as she ran her fingers through her hair. “My experiment,” she whined, pulling her pigtails down, “took me like an  _ hour _ just to set up! I wanted to get this done quickly but now I have to start all over!” She let go of her hair and twisted her fingers in the air before dropping her head into her hands.

He set a dustpan down on the floor and leaned the broom against the table before walking to her side. “That just means you know what you’re doing really well this time, right? ★” He gingerly set his hand on her shoulder. “I promise, I’ll help-”

“Don’t,” she snapped, turning her head towards him and shooting him a dagger-filled glare as he recoiled and dropped his hand to his side. “I just-” she started before sighing and pulling her hands down her face. “I’m sorry, but I’m  _ really _ don’t want to talk right now.” She pushed herself from the table and made her way to the door. “I’m going to go to the roof and cool off. Thanks for cleaning up.”

“Ringo? ★”

As she reached out to the handle, the door swung open and Risukuma jumped back from the other side of the doorway. “Oh, Ringo,” he said, placing his paw over his chest, “good afternoon. Judging from that expression, I take it the results weren’t what you were hoping for?” 

He stepped back as she walked forward, her head low. “I’ll tell you about it later, Ris,” she said before making her way down the hall.

Risukuma dropped his hand to his side and peered into the room. “Any chance  _ you _ could tell me what happened, Maguro?”

* * *

So ya had a bad draft~

The sound of glass shattering across the floor of the lab brought with it a deafening silence. Neither Ringo nor Maguro dared to make a move as the chemicals that were once contained by the beaker started to spill out onto the tiles. She quickly furrowed her brow, her mind fuming as she stared at the mess. She picked her apple off of the lab table and held it in her hand, the skin quickly bruising beneath her fingertips. “If I’ve told you once-”

“You’ve told me a hundred times, ★” Maguro finished, setting his kendama onto the lab table and dashing over to the cleaning closet. “I know, I know - I’m sorry, ★” he added as he walked back over and started to mop up the puddle.

“One hundred and  _ twenty-four  _ times, Maguro!” She sat down on the nearby stool and collapsed herself onto the table, her apple gently rolling across her notes. “Tell me again -  _ why _ did you think it was a good idea to play with your kendama in the lab?”

“I didn’t-” he sputtered, stopping himself and letting out a sigh. He set the mop back into the bucket and wheeled it back to the closed. “Look, I’m  _ really _ sorry. I’ll help you restart your experiment as soon as I finish cleaning up, okay? ★”

She let out a groan as she ran her fingers through her hair. “My experiment,” she whined, picking up her head and pulling down on her pigtails, “took me over an  _ hour _ just to set up! I wanted to get this done today so I didn’t have to worry about it - now I have to start all over!” She let go of her hair and dropped her head into her hands.

“That just means it’ll be even easier when you do it this time, right? ★” Maguro walked back from the closet and set the dustpan down near the glass. He turned to her and heard her mumbling in her hands before letting out a sigh and leaning the broom against the table. He walked to her side and gingerly set his hand on her shoulder. “I promise, I’ll help-”

“Don’t,” she snapped, picking her head up slightly and glaring daggers at him. As he recoiled and put his hand down, her expression fell. “I just-” she started, sighing and pulling her hands down her face. “I’m sorry, but I’m  _ really _ not in the mood to talk right now.” She pushed herself up from the stool and made her way to the door. “I’m going to the roof to cool off. Thanks for cleaning up.”

“Ringo? ★”

As she reached out for the handle, the door swung open. Risukuma jumped back from the opposite of the doorway and put a paw over his chest. “Oh, Ringo, good afternoon!” He moved his paw to just under his chin and let out a hum. “Judging from that expression, I take it the experiment didn’t go as planned?”

She walked forward with her head hung low. “I’ll tell you about it later, Ris,” she said sullenly before making her way towards the stairwell to the roof.

Risukuma dropped his arm to his side as he watched her start to climb the stairs. He poked his head into the laboratory and saw his other club member leaning the back of his hip against the table with his hands in his pockets. “Any chance  _ you _ can tell me what happened here, Maguro?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how interesting the writing process is to anyone, but there wasn't any prompt for today so screw it. No rules, just right, let's go!
> 
> I don't always do an outline, and when I do they aren't usually very detailed. Just enough to get me to start to visualize the scenes I want to work on. They're usually way less formal then my actual writing and often consist of general feelings or dialogue I want to include. For example, the next scene where Ecolo includes lines such as "Rooftop bop" and "Ding dong it is Ecolo time." Definitely not descriptive enough for a reader, but good enough for me to say "Oh, this scene starts at the roof and Ecolo appears and ruins everything like usual, got it."
> 
> For longer fics (usually stuff over 1k), I always reread and retype out a second draft, usually so I can catch repetitive sentence structures, add strategic pauses between dialogue, and otherwise just fix things I didn't like about the first draft. I have a bad tendency to use the same structure over and over again if I'm not paying attention, so I self-beta and check for that. When I first started, I also had a habit of writing the same "filler" actions over and over again (Amitie playing with her bracelet every 4 lines, for example, or Maguro tilting his head every other line). For snippets or ficlets, I seldom go back and proofread, so what you see is what you get!


End file.
